Ph.D.
Student
Department of History and Philosophy of Science
University of Pittsburgh

gyepi@pitt.edu

Az angol nyelvu allasfoglalas szovege:

To: whom it may concern; officials at ELTE
It is my understanding that Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) is considering
the dissolution of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at
the Faculty of Science. As a member of the international community of
History and Philosophy of Science, I urge you to reconsider.
The academic accomplishments of the members of the Department of History
and Philosophy of Science at ELTE are recognized around the globe. They
publish in widely-read journals, attend international conferences, and
have been active in the advancement of the field at large. The department
contributes greatly to the international renown of ELTE and its
dissolution would negatively impact the university's international
standing. It would also deprive the international community of a
productive and contributing center of scholarship.
Based on this, I, the undersigned, request that ELTE, the Faculty of
Science of ELTE, Prof. Dr. István Klinghammer (Rector), Dr. Mózes Székely
(Head of Center for Scientific Innovation and Grant Affairs) and anyone
else involved seek a solution which would not result in the dissolution of
the Department of History of Science.

Here in the US we have been watching as plans to abolish your Department
of
History and Philosophy of Science have unfolded. Please allow us to take
just a moment of your time to express our concern over these plans. Your
Department of History and Philosophy of Science is in the enviable
position
of having established itself as a leading center internationally. In our
case the recognition of the Department's very great strengths have come
through our associations with Miklos Redei and Laszlo Szabo, both of whom
have been in Pittsburgh as Visiting Fellows at our Center for Philosophy
of
Science. Through decades of work, they have established themselves as
leading scholars in their fields and we have benefited greatly from their
visits. Scholars of this ability are hard to find and this sort of
international prominence is surely much prized. We understand that there
is
still time to reverse the decisions taken and we urge you to do so.

Sincerely

John D. Norton
Professor and Chair
Department of History and Philosophy of Science
University of Pittsburgh

It was with shock and dismay that I received words, some weeks ago, that
Lorand Eotvos University was considering closing down one of its most
prestigious and productive faculties, the department of History and
Philosophy of Science. Two members of that department, Miklos Redei and
Laszlo Szabo, are internationally distinguished members of the Fellowship
of the Center for Philosophy of Science, both of them having held Research
Fellowships here. Since there time as research Fellows, they have been
invited back regularly to lecture at the University of Pittsburgh. I
cannot imagine a University not wanting to do everything it can to further
and promote their research and teaching, which is recognized world wide as
among the best work in our field.

As the Director of a Research Center here I sit on our Council of Deans,
and I understand that Universities often must make difficult economic
decisions. But it does not make sense to eliminate a department and
faculty that bring your University such international acclaim. Moreover,
it is my understanding that they are also extremely popular and productive
teachers as well. If a university operates on an economic model that
mandates taking such unreasonable steps when faced with economic
constraints, then it is clear that the economic model needs to be changed.

Previously I have pleaded with you not to take these steps in the
interests of the community of researchers of which your HPS faculty and I
are members. Today I am asking you to consider whether it is in the
interests of your institution to take steps that will certainly lower its
national and international stature, both as a center of research and
teaching.

Yours most sincerely,

James Lennox, Director, Center for Philosophy of Science
Professor of History and Philosophy of Science
University of Pittsburgh

Proposed dissolution of the HPS Department at Eötvös University
I have the honour to address you in connection with your University's
proposal to dissolve its Department of the History and Philosophy of
Science. I am writing to protest in the strongest possible terms.

I am myself a philosopher of physics, trained in both disciplines. I have
close contacts with Professors Redei, Szabo; and the associated
mathematical
logician Professor Nemeti. My contact is especially close, over 15 years,
with Prof Redei.
I have every possible admiration for their work. It is truly first-rate
work: it is imaginative, both as regards technical matters and as regards
philosophy; it is also thoroughly scholarly. One need only glance at the
list of publications of these scholars, on their webpages, to see that
they
publish across a wide range of technical areas in the foundations of
science---and in the world's leading research journals for the subject.
Furthermore, in my understanding of the situation, this Department
represents the main Hungarian centre for the study of the foundations of
science. Certainly, in the Europe-wide philosophy of physics community,
Eötvös University's Department is agreed by all to be THE centre within
Hungary.
As one example of this, let me remind you that in a current
three-year-long
European Science Foundation Network in the Philosophy and Foundations of
Modern Physics, it is Prof Redei who is the Chairman of the main
committee,
and the Department that is the Hungarian ``node''.

Let me add a historical point. All physicists and philosophers of physics
read about Eötvös in one of the great textbooks of general relativity
(Gravitation, by Wheeler et al, 1973, and reprinted many times since
then).
We learn not only that Eötvös' PhD in Heidelberg dealt with relativity,
and
that his great experiments on the equality of gravitational and inertial
mass had a precision that would not be beaten for several decades. We also
learn that he was a minister of public instruction and religious affairs,
founded a school for training high-school teachers, and served for one
year
Rector of the University of Budapest.
Given this tradition, and the twentieth-century geniuses of Hungarian
foundational mathematics and physics who were raised and trained in
Budapest, such as von Neumann and Wigner, I of course ask: how on Earth
can
your University think it appropriate to close this Department?!
Accordingly, I most vigorously request you to do all you can to stop the
closure.

Yours sincerely,

Jeremy Butterfield
Fellow of the British Academy
Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy of Physics
-----

I was thrilled to learn a few days ago that there was definite hope for
the continuance of the HPS Department of Eotvos University. I
hardly need reiterate the glowing international reputation of the
department, nor am I in a position to comment on its role in your
University in terms of its cost. I can only say that I have
learned of its stunning place in the firmament of top HPS departments
world-wide from a large variety of (mostly eminent) sources, and that
the Department's training of students is both well-known and has
impacted directly on my own academic life (I am thinking of Balazs
Gyenis). Furthermore, my research productivity (and indeed the
depth of my philosophical understanding) has
been greatly advanced by detailed consultation with your brilliant
faculty (here I am thinking especially of Miklos Redei and Laszlo
Szabo---with whom I have had an exciting collaboration).
If it comes out that this group is disbanded, I shall cry, and with
good reason. I urge you to do everything in your power to keep
your marvelous department

Truly,

Nuel Belnap

University of Pittsburgh
Alan Ross Anderson Distinguished Professor of Philosophy
Professor of the History and Philosophy of Science
Professor in the Intelligent Systems Program

It is with very
grave concern that we in Utrecht have learned about the plans to
abolish the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at
Budapest University. We know the Department as one of the most
important centers in the discipline in the world. Miklos Redei is
currently chairman of The European Science Foundation Network
for Philosophical and Foundational problems of Modern Physics, and
the Budapest Department is one of the nodes in an envisaged European
Union Marie Curie Research Training Network: These are just
two examples of the many that could be cited to illustrate the
important role played by the Department and its members, both in
Europe and in the world at large.
Our Utrecht department has
especially close ties with Miklos Redei and Laszlo Szabo---we know
them both as leading scholars in the field.

We appeal to you to
reconsider the situation, and to revoke any adverse decisions that
may have been taken.

Sincerely yours,

Dennis Dieks
Professor and Director
Department of History and
Foundations of Science
Utrecht University

****

Dear Colleagues,

I was extremely troubled to learn that the great Eotvos University--which
all of us admire so much--is contemplating the elimination of its history
and philosophy of science. This is a field that is just now growing
enormously not only in the United States, but throughout Europe as well.
The Max Planck Institute in Germany, for instance, has grown into a major
world center, the Centre Koyre in Paris has expanded enormously, and the
principal sites here, including Chicago, Princeton, Stanford, Penn, Yale,
and Harvard all have revitalized and significantly expanded their
programs. All are concerned with historical, philosophical, and science
policy questions that are of the first importance now and surely will
remain so during the coming decades.

Budapest has long maintained true strength in this area, and it is in part
because of this enormously illustrious tradition that I so worry about the
information I have received about a possible closing. If there is
anything that I or my colleagues can do to encourage the continuation and
bolstering of HPS at the Eotvos, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Peter Galison
Mallinckrodt Prof. of the History of Science and Physics
Harvard University

****

Dear Dr. Székely,

I was really astonished to read about ELTE's plans to dissolve the
HPS-department in a kind of impromptu coup on March 16th, 2005. I am of
course well aware how university politics runs, and that interdisciplinary
research fields, among them history of science and philosophy of science,
have a hard stand when money is short. There have also been some decisions
in my country that weakened the position of HPS, but what I hear about the
Budapest affairs does not seem to be worthy of a European University with
a
distinguished reputation. Did you do any evaluation? I am pretty sure that
in your files there is a report about the European Science Foundation
Network in the Philosophy of Physics and the publication lists of the
members of the department. Research in HPS is not measured in terms of
impact factors, which perhaps would even be understandable to the most
disinterested member of ELTE's faculty council. Let me just tell you that
the journals some of the departments members have published in belong to
the
highest category. I wonder how other institutes of the same faculty would
score. (The emails by Profs. Grünbaum and Galison will have informed you
about the scientific standing of HPS faculty in Budapest.)

In the very same first-rate journals (Philosophy of Science, Studies in
History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, Philosophia Mathematica) you
would
find most favorable reviews of two books which I have co-edited with
members
of the HPS department, one with Miklós Rédei (John von Neumann and the
Foundation of Quantum Physics) and one with George Kampis (Appraising
Lakatos). They emerged from a three-year collaboration between the
Institute
Vienna Circle and the HPS department, and it was basically me and George
Kampis who successfully applied for funds from the "Aktion
Österreich-Ungarn" (1996-1998). I was very interested in this
collaboration
because the scholarly level in philosophy of science was much higher in
Budapest than in Vienna (and elsewehere in Austria apart from Salzburg).
The
20.000 Euro we received are little if measured against experimental
equipment and today's EU projects, but you will know very well that it was
a
lot in those days.

If what I read is true, I must also say that I feel a deep personal
frustration how little cooperative achievements are acknowledged by the
institution that profits from it, or rather the institution that become
lively through the willingness of others to devote time for such projects.
If it is thus true, that the Faculty Council - and thus ELTE - decides on
the dissolution without any kind of evaluation, does not discuss any
restructuration plan and does not take any notice of the high quality of
HPS
research in Budapest, I can assure you that in the future I won't do this
again.

Yours sincerely

Dr. Michael Stöltzner
Institute for Science and Technology Studies
University of Bielefeld

****

I am writing to express my shock and alarm at the closing of the
History and Philosophy of
Science Department at EL University. The members of the department
do important work and are known
internationally for their scholarship. I very much hope that a way
can be found to allow the department to
continue to exist and to allow the scholars in the department to
continue to do their teaching and research
in history and philosophy of science.

For an American pathologist who is familiar with budget constraints,
and social engineering developments (see e.g. comments by President
Lawrence H. Summers that aroused such criticism) yet I do not
understand why the department of history of science ( HPS Department
at Eotvos University, Budapest) is threatened with dissolution.

I am dismayed and upset to learn that one of the world's great
universities, Eotvos University, is considering the elimination of its
Department of History and Philosophy of Science.

In the academic world, particularly in History and Philosophy of Science,
students of science need to understand the connection to the past so they
can take nourishment from it to make intelligent decisions about how to
proceed in the future. In science, both the history and philosophy of
the subject play vital roles in a student's education --- giving them an
understanding about how they may proceed in science by studying past
science across the ages, as well as through a firm grasp of scientific
methodology. One cannot normally obtain such insight through specific
science courses---there is usually no time and no expertise. (This is
one reason I have interacted with faculty members of both Princeton
University and Oxford University, for example, to learn more about expert
views in the philosophy and history of science. Although I try to bring
some of this into my physics classes, there simply is not enough time to
give those issues their due. That is why, to repeat, it is so important
to maintain a Department of History and Philosophy of Science.

I do hope it is not too late for you to reconsider your decision; so that
the History and Philosophy of Science department at Eotvos University can
continue to flourish and add prestige to your great university.

Most Sincerely,

Laurence I. Gould

Chairman of the Executive Board, International Symmetry Association
Past Chair, New England Section of the American Physical Society
Member, Forum of the History of Physics (American Institute of Physics)

****

Dear Colleague Gyenis,
I hasten to reply to your worrisome and disturbing E-mail of today
concerning the dire possibility that the HPS Department at ELTE might
simply
be abolished, along with the dismissal of such excellent, well-known
professors as M.Redei and L. Szabo.

I am writing to say that I am eager to be one of the signatories of the
general statement which you drew up against the dissolution of the HPS
Dept.
at ELTE. You may append my 3 academic titles at the University of
Pittsburgh,which are as follows:Andrew Mellon Professor of Philosophy of
Science; Research Professor of Psychiatry;Chairman of the Center for
Philosophy of Science.
I ask that you please convey my high regard for Professors Redei and Szabo
to the relevant officials at ELTE. And let me thank you very much for the
initiative you took!
Best wishes and regards,
Sincerely,
Adolf Grunbaum

I write as President of the British Society for the Philosophy of
Science to tell you, on behalf of our membership, how relieved and
happy we are that your department has been enabled to survive the
recent crisis.

I do not need to tell you that your department is a most highly
respected department of international standing, and that everybody in
the field has accordingly been extremely concerned to hear that its
closure was contemplated. Now their sense will be one of enormous
relief. You will certainly be receiving messages of congratulations
from every university in the world where the history and philosophy of
science is studied; I would like to add ours to them.

With regards,
Colin Howson

****

Nehany tovabbi, az eset kapcsan szuletett megjegyzes:

****

We have just begun making international connections with Hungary in the
field of history of science and science education. It would be a pity to
loose this promising association.
Dr. Arthur Stinner
Professor of Science Education, University of Manitoba
President, IHPST group

You are fortunate to have an internationally respected unit in History and
Philosophy of Science. To disolve this highly regarded department would
be a mistake.
James Lennox
Professor, History and Philosophy of Science
Director, Center for Philosophy of Science
University of Pittsburgh, USA

The HPS Department at Eotvos is one of the best in the world. It has an
academic history and tradition that cannot be measured in financial terms
(and anyway it seems the financial argument currently put forward by
university mangement at Eotvos is flawed). The HPS department at Eotvos
has provided guidance to scholars around the world, and is always
extremely well represented and well received at international conferences.
This field is one of the most alive, viable, and respected ones in
Philosophy and the Eotvos department has been instrumental in contributing
to this discipline. It willbe a very sad day for Philosophy if Deans and
other managers at Eotvos do not realise the consequences of closing down
this department.
Professor Emma Ruttkamp
Professor of Philosophy, University of Johannesburg, South africa
Member of Executive Committee, Philosophical Association of Southern Arica

The HPS Department of ELTE plays a crucal role in the philosophy of
science across Europe and its dissolution would represent a serious loss
to the European academic community.
Robert C. Bishop
University of Oxford

Members of the Department of HPS at ELTE have an international reputaion
for excellence. It would be a terrible loss to the international community
of scholars and to the Hungarian system of higher education to dissolve
this department. I urge those in office who are deciding on this matter in
the strongest terms NOT to dissolve the HPS Department at ELTE. This is a
personal statement, meaning that it should not be construed as
representing the views of the organizations to which I have indicated an
affiliation.
Frederick M. Kronz
Professor/The University of Texas at Austin
Panelist/National Science Foundation (NSF)
Member/Philosophy of Science Association (PSA)

I studied both at ELTE TTK and BTK, and I experienced personally how much
the Department for HPS contributes to bringing both worlds (humanities and
science) together to the TTK students.
Tamas Biro
Humanities Computing, University of Groningen
Department for Assyriology and Judaic Studies, ELTE

This is a superb program with an internationally well-known and respected
faculty. Closing the program will do nothing but bring shame to the
university.
Don Howard
Department of Philosophy
Prog. in Hist. & Phil. of Science
Univ. of Notre Dame; USA

The Department of HPS at ELTE is one of the best in the world. Its
dissolution will affect negatively the whole international community in
the field.
Peeter Müürsepp
Vice-Rector on Research and Development
Audentes University

I am really shocked to learn that one of the best centres for History and
Philosophy of Science in Central and Eastern Europe is to be closed for
unclear reasons. Those who are going to vote for the Department's
dissolution should know that they will cause a big loss not only for the
Hungarian history and philosophy of science but for all those involved in
different forms of international cooperation together with the members of
the Department of HPS at ELTE.
Lilia Gurova
Assoc. Prof. in History and Philosophy of Science
New Bulgarian University

The dept. at ELTE is one of the finest centres for history and philosophy
of science in Europe. Dissolving it would be an intellectual catastrophe.
Dr. Jeanne Peijnenburg
Associate Professor Epistemology
Vice-dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Groningen, The Netherlands
Head of Groningen Research Institute for Philosophy (GRIPh)

It is in the interest of the university to keep this successful group of
internationally well-known researches.
David Atkinson
professor of theoretical physics

The department has an excellent reputation and should not be closed.
Stephan Hartmann
Director
Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science
London School of Economics and Political Science

The Department has a very high international reputation, due to members
such as Prof. Miklos Redei. It is a bastion of Philosophy of Science in
Eastern Europe. Its dissolution would be considered as a major scandal in
the academic world.
Franz Dietrich
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Konstanz, Germany

I completely agree with the letters by Prof. Grunbaum and Prof. Galison on
the possible dissolution of the Department of History and Philosophy of
Science at ELTE. It would be an enormous mistake.
Leon Horsten
Professor, Center for Logic and Philosophy of Science, Institute of
Philosophy
University of Leuven

HPS is of immeasurable value.
Margaret Schabas
Professor and Head of Department
Philosophy, University of British Columbia
Vancouver Canada

The HPS dept at ELTE is respected internationally. Its loss would hurt the
field.
John Ongley
Asst Prof, Phil, Edinboro
Univ of PA

Failure to understand the history of science leads to failure to
understand its possible futures - not a good idea for Hungary!
Christopher Cullen
Director
Needham Research Institute
Cambridge

The Department has an excellent international reputation and should not be
closed.
Christian List
Lecturer in Political Science
London School of Economics and Political Science

Like many others, I agree that the department has a strong reputation and
should not be dissolved. This would be a most unfortunate decision, and I
strongly urge that those responsible for it reconsider.
Dr. J. McKenzie Alexander
(Senior) Lecturer
Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method
London School of Economics

This is distessing development!!
Professor John Forge
School of Science, Griffith University
Unit for HPS, Sydney Univeristy
Former Visiting Fellow, Center for Philosophy of Science, Pittsburgh

Please keep the ELTE Department of HPS, for the good of philosophy,
science, and Hungary.
Nick Treanor
Ph.D. Candidate Department of Philosophy, Brown University

The international community of History and Philosophy of Science hopes the
faculty will reconsider letting fall this blow to this vital and vibrant
field!
Kristen Ehrenberger
MD/PhD (History) Student
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

This decision will require thinking about the long-term good, rather than
simply immediate problem shooting. Please find another way.
Sharon R. Ford
Ph.D. Student in Philosophy
University of Queensland
Australia

The HPS program is essential to the intellectal life of Budapest and
Hungary. I have lectured many times in the superb series that Szabo
directs. I have discussed philosophical issues of common inteerest with
him and Redei many times while I was a fellow at the Collegium Budapest.
It is a very bad idea to end this valuable program.
Barry Loewer
Graduate Director and Professor II
Philosophy Department
Rutgers University

As a former guest of the Rektor of Collegium Budapest and a philosopher of
science, I strongly believe that the vitality of the sciences at ELTE is
enhanced by the presence of the history and philosophy of science
department.
James R. Griesemer
Professor and Incoming Chair of Philosophy and Director, Science and
Technology Studies
Member of the Center for Population Biology
University of California, Davis

As Editor of the journal _Philosophy of Science_, I have reasonable
acquaintance with work being done in HPS around the world. The HPS
Department at ELTE has a solid international reputation. It would be a
loss for the community, and a very clear loss for the reputation of ELTE,
should its HPS Department be dissolved.
Michael Dickson Professor
University of South Carolina

I have the highest regard for Professor Redei's and Szabo's works. And I
sincerely hope that a solution that prevents the dissolution of the HPS
Department at ELTE can be found.
Otavio Bueno
Associate Professor
Department of Philosophy, University of South Carolina, USA

Please add my name to those of our colleagues who support HPS at ELTE. It
would be a matter of great regret if it closed. Ian Gold
School of Philosophy & Bioethics
Monash University, Clayton VIC, Australia

I hope that this department which is unique and plays a crucial role in
the Eastern Europe will NOT be dissolved.
Ioan Muntean
University of California, San Diego

The ELTE HPS Department is a core research group in HPS in Central and
Eastern Europe, and a key player in re-development of humanistic studies
generally in the region. The loss of the HPS Department would be a defeat
that goes well beyond ELTE.
Saul Fisher
President, International Society for History of Philosophy of Science
(HOPOS)

From what I have read, this makes neither economic nor academic sense.
Konrad Talmont-Kaminski
Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology
Marie Curie-Sklodowska University
Lublin, Poland

It'll be the biggest mistake the science faculty will commit if it takes a
stand to forget its own past.
Prajit K. Basu
Reader
Department of Philosophy,
University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India

I sincerely hope that the faculty of science will withdraw its decision.
History and Philosophy of science is crucial for the development of both
science and philosophy and the members of the HPS department at ELTE are
among the leading scholars in the field.
Mauro Dorato
Full Professor Philosophy of Science
Univ. Rome3

Really an incredible event is happening to one of the best place where
history and philosophy of science is done in Europe.
Giovanni Boniolo
Professor at the Department of Philosophy - University of Padova - Italy

Shutting down such a small and distinguished department will rebound
against the standing of the entire ELTE.
Robert Nola
Professor of Philosophy
Convenor, Programme in History and Philosophy of Science and Technology

I am very concerned at the possibility of closure of the HPS Department at
Eotvos University. I have known Dr Miklos Redei and his work for many
years and have the highest regard for his scholarly achievements. The
recent work of Dr L E Szabo on the foundations of relativity theory is
also known to me, and I admire it. It would be a great loss to the
international community working in this area, and a blow to the prestige
of the University, were the Department where these respected scholars work
to be closed.
Harvey R Brown
Reader in Philosophy, University Lecturer in Philosophy of Physics

EU philosophers of physics have been consolidating their relationships
with one another in recent years and now represent a real EU-wide research
group. Professors Redei and Szabo have played a prominent role in this; it
would be a tragedy for the HPS department at Eotvos University to be shut
down at this time.
Simon Saunders
Reader in philosopher of physics, Oxford University

The work of the scholars in the HPS group at ELTE is highly regarded
across the world. For example, the Spanish Ministry of Education and
Science has funded several visits by PhD students of mine to Budapest in
order to work with Profesor Miklos Redei and his colleagues. Such funding
would stop at once were the HPS dept closed and its staff laid off.
Dr. Mauricio Suarez
Profesor Titular (Tenured Professor)
Dept of Logic and Philosophy of Science
Universidad Complutense de Madrid

It would be extremely hard, not to say impossible, to reconstruct such an
excellent department in any forseeable future.. Prof. Gerard G. EMCH
Professor of Mathematics, University of Florida, Gainesville FL
32611-8105, USA

This Department does some distinguished work and it would be a grave
error, in my view, to close it down. To do so would affect the reputation
of the Eotvos University adversely internationally.
John Worrall
Professor of Philosophy of Science
London School of Economics

I have attended their seminars often and presented papers myself. These
have been very useful events for me.
Howard Robinson
Professor and Head Philosophy Dept, Central European University
Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Philosophy, University of
Liverpool

I strongly endorse the petition. The HPS department has a truly
international dimension. This would be the wrong decision in the context
of the recent enlargement of the European Union and of deepening
pan-European collaboration.
Guido Bacciagaluppi
IHPST
13 rue du Four
75006 Paris, France

I urge the faculty of sciences at Eotvos university to take time to
reconsider the idea of closing the History and Philosophy of Science
department. At a time when scientists (especially physicists) and
philosophers are having more, and more fruitful interactions than they
have in many decades, this retrograde step would be particularly
unfortunate.
Carl Hoefer
Research Professor
ICREA and Universitat Autňnoma de Barcelona

With faculty like George Kampis, this would be most counter-productive!
Robert E. Ulanowicz
Professor
Univ. Maryland Centre for Environmental Sci.
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory

It is a great strength for future scientists to encounter HS or study
science's deeper sense. Students used to be required to take 3 semesters
of such studies - and i dare say it has an impact on subsequent research.
Please reconsider.
Noemi Fekete
former ELTE student
Univ. of Kiel, Germany

I studied in Hungary a few years ago, and it would be very distressing to
see this department disappear.
Kenneth Easwaran
PhD student
Group in Logic and the Methodology of Science
UC Berkeley

Philosophy of science is essential not only for natural science but for
the whole scientific and cultural community. The scope of activities of
DHPS is exclusive not only within our university but also within the whole
country and is not easily replaceable by other departments of philosophy
with their present staff members. I'm sure that our rector and his
economic advisers will find a wise solution to preserve the whole
department for us and for the country as well.
Pásztor Erzsébet, PhD adjunktus, ELTE TTK

As an ELTE alumnus and someone who publishes both science and science
history, I strongly urge you to acknowledge the value of this field by
saving the HPS Department.
Laszlo Takacs
Associate Prof. of Physics
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Dear Colleagues! The Department of History and Philosophy of Science at
ELTE is very known as not only teaching history and philosophy of science
but also as the first Department in the world, where systematic lectures
on history, philosophy and methods of symmetries in different scientific
fields are presented. In this reason, .International Symmetry Association.
(ISA), where representatives from more than 30 countries participate,
considers this Department as a great and important example for many other
Universities of the world. And elimination of the Department is a bad deal
for symmetrology, in particularly. ISA supports the .Prevent the
dissolution of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at
ELTE. actively.
Sergei V. Petoukhov
Chair of Advisory Board of ISA, Ph.D, Grand Ph.D., Full Professor
Chair of Advisory Board of "International Symmetry Association"
Chief Scientist of Mechanical Engineering
Research Institue of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Honorary Chairman of Board Directors of "International Society of Symmetry
in Bioinformatics" (Florida, USA)

The Department of History and Philosophy of Science at ELTE has an
international reputation that brings credit to the University. It is
shocking that the University is contemplating dissolving the Department.
Jeffrey Bub
Professor of Philosophy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

Unbelivable bad news. I didn't think it is possible something like this in
Budapest!
Gabriel Vacariu
Assistant-Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Bucharest
PhD Student at University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

I sincerely support this initiative of my Hungarian colleagues and I hope
that decision makers in Hungary will act responsably, taking seriously
into account this petition.
Sebastian Buhai
Department of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Tinbergen Institute
Department of Economics, University College London

I had the privilege to be invited to Budapest Semester in Cognitive
Science at ELTE University by Professor Kampis during Nov 29th . Dec 3rd,
2004. I had the pleasure to attend to Professor Bickle.s Cognitive
Neuroscience Lecture, an opportunity that without ELTE.s Department of
History and Philosophy of Science support would have never happen. Thanks
to these professors. letters and meetings I applied and I got accepted to
a PhD program in USA. Given the above, the dissolution of this department
would be not only a great mistake, but also would eradicate one of the
fewest academic facilities of this type in this part of Europe.
Elena Schifirnet
present MA Cognitive Science Bucharest Univ, Romania
future Affective Neuroscience PhD student, WSU, Michigan, USA

Hungary at present enjoys a special reputation internationally because of
the influence of leading scholars in the advance of the scientific
perspective for which the ELTE Dept of History and Philosophy of Science
at present offers one of the rare homes. I have in mind the contributions
of such leading contributors to the advance of evolution theory as
professors Gyorgy Kampis and Vilmos Csanyi longtime ELTE faculty members,
as well as such noted Hungarian scholars as Ervin Laszlo, Mihaly
Csikzentmihalyi, and the late Bela Banathy. This is a form of capital
very hard to replace once lost. From the financing viewpoint, I urge you
to petition Hungarian expatriate George Soros for a special grant to take
care of that problem. Contact him via the Open Society Institute in New
York City, for which you can find the address on Google.
David Loye
former professor, UCLA School of Medicine
former visiting lecturer, Princeton University
co-founder, The General Evolution Research Group

It is difficult to understand why a productive, relatively inexpensive
department with an international reputation is being targeted for
dissolution.
John Bickle, Ph.D.
Professor and Head, Department of Philosophy
Professor, Neuroscience Graduate Program
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

I hope Hungary does not lose an excellent international reputation in
scientific culture.
Ichiro Tsuda
Professor
Department of Mathematics
Hokkaido University

It is my experience that science students benefit from HPS taught by
specialists in the field. It broadens their horizons, and helps them to
reflect on scientific issues.
Jonathan Simon
Researcher
History of medicine, Charité, Berlin

At Harvard, we take history of science quite seriously and believe that it
has a lot to offer the academy. Your HS scholars will create a bridge
between your nation and the rest of the scholarly world. Please pursue a
means to continue your program.
Max Hunter

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Összeállította:

Balazs Gyenis

Ph.D.
Student
Department of History and Philosophy of Science
University of Pittsburgh